Is Ad Nauseam Even Viable?
Modern forum
Posted on Feb. 12, 2016, 1:24 p.m. by Sergal
2 of the guys that go to my LGS decided to bring Ad Nauseam to the most recent event. They both went 2-2. I feel like with all of the changes to the format since Twin's banning, Ad Nauseam isn't a thing. Control is becoming way more prominent in the format. As is full blown smash face aggro. Grixis control has the option to board in hand disruption which really shuts down Ad Nauseam builds. While, yes, Ad Nauseam moves quickly and can consistently end games on turn 4, it is a goldfish deck. Against decks that rely soley on interaction with the opponents hand and spells, Ad nauseam gets crippled.
Also, since AN is a deck that goldfishes, it can't stand against a deck that smashes face. I was playing mono black devotion and really just flattened them both out. Phyrexian Unlife makes it a good match up against burn, but it doesnt do anything against infect, affinity, R/G landfall, or even Kiln Fiend burn (which I know isn't a playable option per se, but I win alot with it).
Let me know what you think about Ad Nauseam. Do you think that it can be a thing anymore in the modern format?
TheAnnihilator says... #3
Agreed. I'd actually say that Ad Naus is moving up now that Twin is gone and blue in general is less prominent. Counters just seem like the best way to interact with the deck (assuming you can cast multiple to play around possible Pact of Negation).
February 12, 2016 2:11 p.m.
Necrotesque says... #4
In a "full blown smash face aggro" Ad naus is well positioned since it has 4 instant speed time walks in the form of Angel's Grace. Yes it has a poor match up against infect but other than that it's a great deck. It usually pack 4 Leyline of Sanctity against discard since it is indeed another weakness, but either Mystical Teachings or Spoils of the Vault can go get what they need and you lose on the spot. A friend of mine plays Ad Naus as his only modern deck and I lost to it many times piloting Affinity, Storm and to a lesser extent, Living End. I did also win many times against it, the deck is not perfect, but it's a cool deck to have in the format.
February 12, 2016 2:44 p.m.
It was in the top 30 decks at the Pro Tour. It's the pilot, not the deck.
February 12, 2016 3:10 p.m.
Serendipitous_Hummingbird says... #6
The viability of Ad Nauseam is inversely proportional to the amount of infect, targeted discard, and Nevermore effects people are playing.
That's obviously not a hard and fast rule, but those are horrible matchups for Ad nauseam
February 12, 2016 4:29 p.m.
SwaggyMcSwagglepants says... #8
I like Ad Nauseam as a deck. I'm not quite sure the best variant has been reached yet though. If more people try to grind their heads together and make the deck better then I think it can be in better places.
February 13, 2016 12:02 a.m.
I, personally, think that the Death's Shadow version of the deck is better.
February 13, 2016 12:18 a.m.
TMBRLZ "Stupid two card combos like Splinter Twin CAN be an exception to that rule,"
I've got some bad news for you about the number of cards required for Ad Nauseam to go off...
February 20, 2016 5:37 p.m.
Ad Naus actually requires you to know what you're doing.
"stupid two card combos"
Splinter Twin is (err... was) literally a LETS COUNT TO FOUR. You were looking for two cards and everything else in the deck was to make sure you got to the combo or could protect it.
Describing Splinter Twin is as easy as "Play this, and then put this on it. You win."
Ad Naus would take a bit more explanation then that.
February 22, 2016 11:29 a.m.
Play this, play that, draw your deck, win. That's technically an extra step but still.
And I really get the feeling you never played much twin. That or you're just exaggerating for whatever reason.
February 22, 2016 5:32 p.m.
awphutt, this guy TMBRLZ is right. Ad nauseam is waaaaayyyyy more complicated than that, and waaaayyyy more complicated than splinter twin. twin is easy to play, and is basically counting to four. once you pilot the deck once, you find out quickly how to play it right. piloting Ad nauseam, on the other hand, is an artwork. it is knowing when to play your angel's graces, when to suspend your blooms, whether or not to play ad naus without a pact in hand, how the combo actually goes off, and if it will kill (I saw a guy survive the combo because he was playing soul sisters and had 45+ life when the combo went off). playing twin is like: bolt your dude, snap, bolt your other dude, here's an exarch at the end of your turn, untap, gg. tell me I am wrong.
February 23, 2016 10:52 a.m.
I dint put this thread up to bash ad naus. that deck is ridiculous. I was just wondering if, with the meta the way it is right now, it is still a viable option to bring to a tourney. I mean, with the eldrazi menace, and all of the hand disruption that comes along with it, ad naus gets harder and harder to win with.
February 23, 2016 10:56 a.m.
Aggro pretty much dominates the format.
Wizards already came out and said they weren't going to nerf Eldrazi Aggro (which is corrupting Modern) until the next actual ban in the Spring.
However Jeff Hoogland (who just took sixth place at Louisville) is a professional player in my area and close friends with my LGS manager. He's apparently attempting to build Eldrazi for Legacy and take that to the next big legacy tournament. So we'll see if he gets anywhere and can cause enough fire to get Wizards to do something about the Eldrazi menace. (Fun fact, Jacob Dyer who took fourth is one my coworkers at my LGS.)
But as for right now aggro is decimating the format in the forms of Eldrazi and Affinity, and Affinity is the only thing that can keep pace with Eldrazi when Eldrazi isn't whiffing.
MTGTOP8's "Decks to Beat" list this month was only three decks. That's unheard of. It's usually between six and eight decks, with the list containing the typical meta archetypes with Affinity usually at the helm. This month it's only three and you may or may not be shocked when you see what they are.
So is it viable right now? No. It was when you posted this. But now I feel like it's a dangerous time for anything that isn't prepared to face an Eldrazi deck. And Ad Naus simply won't be.
Wait for the Eldrazi storm to pass before you put Ad Naus back in drive.
February 23, 2016 12:46 p.m.
You have 100% never played Twin before, but this is all getting away from the point of the thread. If you'd like to continue, by all means we can do it on walls or whatever.
TMBRLZ says... #2
Depends on the pilot.
Combo decks require good pilots. Stupid two card combos like Splinter Twin CAN be an exception to that rule, except at professional levels where everybody is (or should be) a good pilot.
I'll never discredit Ad Nauseam. Granted the combo is rather complex but completely viable when in the right hands. If it says anything I lost to Ad Naus when I was playing Bloom Titan. I literally had the win. Pact upkeep trigger on the stack from Hive Mind for him to lose and he goes off at instant speed on the stack on top of the Pact trigger. I'll never forget that. I'll never forgive that. Dirty and unkind. I respect him for it though.
My point is - any combo deck requires excessive playing and practice against all varieties of the meta. The sideboard response really does matter in combo decks as most combo decks in any format will be fairly response-less to anything you do and are generally playing with themselves. Its just a matter of knowing when to play what, what hands to keep, etc. Ad Naus is no exception to those tenants.
February 12, 2016 1:40 p.m.